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Friday, March 14, 2014

Lateblossom Plays It Loose

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I'm a little tight when it comes to design. Everything must have a place on the card and be in that place...and not a millimeter to the left or right of that place. As a result, I rarely make whimsical or juvenile or cute cards.

When I bought Springtime Doodles from Papertrey, I hoped to change that. The set's whimsical, loosely sketched images are just so cute! My first run at the set was...unsatisfying, but my second take on it feels much more like me...but loose.

Well, a little loose. I think that's probably the best we can hope for, don't you?

After trying to color in these images with Copic/Bic/Sharpie markers and throwing away most of the efforts, I noticed several cards in several different magazines that took the approach of black outline images with only splashes of color. The first and third cards reflect that influence, and I really do like them. The first uses only three rhinestones for color, and the third uses a healthy spot of yellow Stickles. A little sparkle really can go a long way toward carrying a card.

The middle card utilizes my favorite classic CAS layout of all time, but after I'd colored the bugs, they still needed something. Stickles would have covered up the dots and the lines dividing the wings, so I needed something clear. Crystal lacquer is such a mess and takes forever to dry, and as I was contemplating the need for it, I remembered these clear epoxy dome stickers. Sure enough, the smaller ones fit! So much easier than crystal lacquer, and no waiting time!